Four-year plan 2016

Our distinctive culture is at the core of what makes New Zealand a great place to live. Cultural expression, engagement and understanding are fundamental to a vibrant and healthy society and help define what it is to be a New Zealander. Cultural expression expands individual capacities, helps bind society and provides jobs and innovation in the economy.

Māori culture is central to New Zealand’s uniqueness as a place, a society and a nation. Strong partnerships between iwi-Māori and the Crown are essential in ensuring Māori culture is protected and flourishes.

Culture is produced by creative and innovative individuals, groups and organisations. The activities, goods and services they create, produce, distribute and present to the world have a value which is not only cultural but also social and economic.

New Zealand’s rapid demographic transformation is being led by Auckland which is emerging as a vibrant hub that celebrates its strong Pacific and Asian links. Successful cultural activity helps us to connect as a changing nation and to connect within and across our communities.

Government makes a significant contribution to the broad cultural sector each year. The government invests almost $400 million each year in heritage, arts, media and sport through Vote Arts, Culture and Heritage and Vote Sport and Recreation.

Support for the cultural sector is also provided through other public funding, most notably the education portfolio and local government. Around $100 million is provided by the NZ Lottery Grants Board to four cultural sector agencies - Sport New Zealand, Creative New Zealand, the NZ Film Commission (in their statutory body capacity) and Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision.

Through partnerships, sponsorship and revenue generation, the Ministry and our funded agencies have increased the level of third- party revenue from $50 million to $80 million over the past 10 years in the government funded cultural sector. There is a continued focus on increasing third-party revenue in particular through philanthropy, through fund-raising through trusts and foundations.